Huntsville, Alabama, is the home to many of the world's newest scientific innovations, including much of the U.S. Space Program. Marshall Space Flight Center is one of the major NASA hubs in the U.S. Begun in 1960; Marshall is responsible for propulsion systems and vehicles for space exploration, including the space shuttle.
The shuttle program is run in part from Marshall Space Flight Center, and the center houses a communications system for communicating with the astronauts while on board the space shuttle.
The U.S. Space and Rocket Center is a cavernous space museum that comprises historic exhibits from the U.S. space program as well as interactive activities. The museum also features an IMAX theater and a large outdoor display area.
Space Museum Exhibits
Among other exhibits, the indoor portion of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center features:
- the body of the first spider in space
- moon rocks
- a moon buggy prototype
- mars mission flight simulator
- numerous space suits
- life-size display of a space station
- retired rockets
Visitors can climb inside space capsules and experience astronaut training on one of the machines used to train astronauts. There are also a number of interactive science displays for kids.
The Davidson Center for Space Exploration
The newest portion of the U.S. space and Rocket Center is the Davidson Center for Space Exploration. This distinctive glass building houses the restored Saturn V rocket. Engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center designed the Saturn V and it remains the largest rocket used by the U.S. space program.
The Saturn V housed in the Davidson building is one of several Saturn V rockets that were sent to the moon and to Earth orbit in the 1960's and 1970's. It is the most intact of all the Saturn V rockets and is considered one of the seven wonders of the U.S. The rocket is displayed horizontally above the ground to allow visitors to walk beneath it.
Space Camp
Every summer, Space Camp is attended by kids from all over the world. Housed on the grounds of the space center, U.S. Space Camp gives campers an opportunity to train like astronauts and to conduct their own scientific experiments.
Rocket Park
Rocket Park is the outdoor display area of the Space Center. It houses several retired rockets as well as rides and other activities. Rides for adults include the harsh G-Force Acceleratorthat whips passengers around fast enough to exert 3 Gs of force. The Space Shot shoots the rider into the air with a force of 4 Gs. The Kids Cosmos Energy Depletion Zone is for younger kids to ride a gentler attraction and play in a shaded area.
The U.S. Space and Rocket Center is a celebration of the history of space exploration as well as its future. Anyone interested in space exploration will find something of interest among the thousands of exhibits in the museum and in Rocket Park.
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